By now most of you have heard the announcement of a “shake-up” at DC Comics. (So soon after Marvel’s headline grabbing buy-out by Disney. Coincidence? Possible.) “DC Comics” will now call itself “DC Entertainment”, with current publisher and president Paul Levitz stepping down. Levitz will resume his writing, taking over the Adventure Comics title (which hasn’t hit #3 yet) while Diane Nelson will run the new named group. He isn’t completely leaving the management system, however, as he will act as a consultant with the other Warner Brothers groups in helping to promote the characters.
So is this a big change? I don’t think so, at least at the comic book level. Dan Didio is still Editor-In-Chief, so unless Nelson puts her foot down on it the DC Universe will continue to suffer from Eventitis. While this may bring hope that the extended market (where only Batman has been successful the past couple of years with Cartoon Network’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the movies, and the Arkham Asylum and LEGO video games), it depends on Warner Brothers Entertainment, Inc. as well as Nelson and Levitz. I’m not sure WBEI really cares about the characters other than how much money they can make out of them, so as long as Superman and friends are “marketable”, they don’t care.
I also do not see the “Johnny DC” line to be anything more than a Cartoon Network spin-off line. There is only two titles that aren’t based on CN or a toy line (Billy Batson and Tiny Titans). While I do hope that Cosmic Supergirl will fly again, nothing out of DC Comics/Entertainment makes think that any of the titles will be better promoted. Although a cartoon based on Billy Batson, Cosmic Supergirl, or Tiny Titans could be a good thing. For that matter, with Marvel set to debut Super Hero Squad, unless something’s changed with the Disney buy-out, a DC Super Friends cartoon would be good for both the toys and comics. If anyone even knows the comics exist. Start by bringing back the Johnny DC logo, like they do the Vertigo and CMX imprints.
And can “DC Entertainment” really do anything besides order new stationary that will be different that what’s been done so far? Is the name reflective of a new marketing plan or like a local nightclub that changed its name but according to a friend of mine had the same owner, workers, and paint job? Sure, most of the animated movies get some good reviews as well as the more recent Bat-product, but they used to dominate the extended media. Now they’re playing second fiddle at best to Marvel.
I don’t see any more changes here than I do at Marvel Entertainment under Disney. Five months from now we’ll all have the same compliments and complaints as we do now.
BW Media Spotlight 